Hey Jude! Treating Male Hair Loss Has Never Been Easier

There are several different types of hair loss, from the commonor-garden 'male pattern baldness' - real name 'androgenic alopecia' - to the rarer 'alopecia areata', where clumps of hair fall out. For the latter problem, hair does usually grow back eventually, but male pattern baldness tends to be degenerative - i.e. it will keep on going.

He might be one of the hottest actors in Hollywood, but it seems Jude Law is still battling with his receding hairline.

The 40-year-old star of hit movies The Holiday and Alfie was photographed at an event this week with his hairline looking even more thin than usual. His case isn't rare, and year-on-year clinics all over the UK see more and more cases of men who want to fix their receding hairline.

Hair grows all over the human skin except on the palms of our hands and the soles of our feet, although many hairs are so fine they're practically invisible to the naked eye. For some people the life span of their hair growth is shorter. Unfortunately, even the experts don't always understand why some hair follicles are programmed to have a shorter growth period than others, although several factors can influence hair loss including hormones, genes, stress and illness and drugs (eg chemotherapy).

A recent poll by The Cosmetic Surgery Guide revealed one in three men suffering with hair loss admit it affects their confidence on a daily basis, and clinics all over the UK report inquiries into hair transplant surgery, which starts from around £2,000, quadrupled between 2011 to 2012.

So what can you do if like Jude, and other celebrities like Wayne Rooney, your thinning hair is making you unhappy? Thankfully, there are surgical and non-surgical options to consider.

If you're not in the market for a full-on hair transplant, thankfully there are a number of nonsurgical options available today, from over-the-counter products through to more permanent solutions.

There are several different types of hair loss, from the commonor-garden 'male pattern baldness' - real name 'androgenic alopecia' - to the rarer 'alopecia areata', where clumps of hair fall out. For the latter problem, hair does usually grow back eventually, but male pattern baldness tends to be degenerative - i.e. it will keep on going. If this is your problem, you are probably a candidate for cosmetic hair replication.

Over-the-counter products include hair pieces, camouflage products and hair volumisers, as well as some herbal preparations. Minoxidil (known as Regaine) is a lotion that you rub on the scalp, which can slow down hair loss and stimulate new growth.

For those people who suffer from hair loss and want a more permanent solution than those offered by cosmetic hair loss treatments, hair transplant surgery can offer the possibility of regaining hair in areas where it has been lost, by transplanting hair follicles from other areas of the body, or the back of the head. The donor follicles can be taken in two different ways. The traditional method is through 'strip harvesting', where a strip of scalp is removed, usually from the back of the head. A more modern technique is called 'follicular unit extraction' or FUE Harvesting, and involves transplanting the individual hair follicles.

A thorough consultation with a surgeon should ascertain whether you are a suitable candidate for hair transplant surgery. Broadly speaking, if your hair loss is very extensive, it might be quite difficult to find enough hair elsewhere to create the effect you want, so this procedure is more suitable for those with receding hairlines or bald patches than for the entirely bald.